Vancouver Snow Clearing Staff Receives Priority Reminder After Some Pedestrian Paths Went Graded – BC | The Canadian News

Snow clearance crews in Vancouver will receive a briefing in the next few days after some walkways were left unplowed Monday, but neighboring bike lanes were cleared.

Images of what the municipal Count. Sarah Kirby-Yung, described as a “lack of service,” was shared on social media Monday morning. Areas where walking trails remain covered in snow alongside plowed bike lanes include Arbutus Greenway, the Vancouver Convention Center, and Coal Harbor.

“I spoke to city staff and they told me that they are going to do a briefing for city teams, that they are going to do repair work to go back and clear those roads that were not cleared,” Kirby-Yung said in an interview.

“That should have happened with this snowfall and unfortunately it didn’t.”

In February of last year, Kirby-Yung made a motion to the Vancouver City Council on prioritizing pedestrians in the municipality’s snow response and protocol.

Based on the motion, staff recommended that the city establish expanded “Winter Priority Sidewalks” to improve pedestrian safety, improve equity, and align with its goals of becoming a more active city.

The corridors were to be cleared at the same time as the adjacent bike lanes, but “even though the policy was updated and there was training, this time there was only a lack of service,” Kirby-Yung said.

Some of the problem areas had already been cleared Monday night and city crews were back on the streets Tuesday.

Tricia Barker, Vancouver Park Board Commissioner, said it is the responsibility of the city to meet its commitments to the public, especially those with safety implications.

“I don’t know who failed, but I think we should make sure that we are doing exactly what we say we are going to do, and if we are going to put pedestrians on top, we have to do it. doing that, ”he told Global News.

“We keep saying we’re going to put pedestrians first, people with disabilities first and that’s not happening, and I think we really need to see a change.”

According to their website, the city of Vancouver has more than 100 snow and ice treatment vehicles and equipment, hundreds of people available to remove snow, and around 3,000 tons of salt.